The Real Me
by kakkoi-ne
Summary: Inoichi asks Shikamaru to spy on Ino's date, but when Shikamaru disguises himself as Sasuke, things get a little crazy. Rated T for mild language and lime. Shikaino (Minor Sasusaku) This is my first work on FF. :)
1. Chapter 1: Daddy's Little Princess

"How about this one?" Ino strut outside the fitting room, in her 20th outfit – a tight fitting jean mini skirt and a tan coloured strapless top revealing her toned stomach – she placed her hands on her hips impatiently, "Shikamaru!" Shikamaru woke up abruptly from a comfortable nap. He gave a grumpy snarl and shrugged. The crowd of perverted old men and hormonal teenage boys that had gathered to ogle at her began to drool and have nosebleeds, mumbling things like: "Damn, how'd he score that? What a lucky guy!" But Shikamaru was less than please. Yup, he had been dragged to the mall for 4 hours (at least) to watch Ino pick out an outfit for a date with another guy, Sai, of all people. That guy barely understood life itself, let alone girls; after all, Shika was still trying to figure out women himself.

"You are zero help! I'm just gonna get the first one I tried on, ugh!" Ino scoffed and stomped back into the fitting room. The crowd got a little disappointed and began to disperse. _Finally._ Shika groaned internally. _Why did she have to try on all those things just to pick the first one? Women are really complicated. _

Later that night, Ino was freaking out, panicking, trying on all kinds of combinations of purses and shoes. "Should I try on some jackets? Or should I not bring one in case it gets cold so he could – EEEP – lend me his?!" Ino squeled, but was dismayed and annoyed when she turned away from her mirror and noticed Shikamaru fast asleep on her bed, snuggled up with her stuffed piglet. She rolled her eyes and kept weighing her options when the sound of a doorbell caught her attention and woke up Shikamaru.

"Ino…you're…er…Sai-san is here…" Inoichi called with a hint of bitterness. He couldn't believe his little princess was going out with a different guy again, someone he didn't even know or trust. Besides, Sai really gave him the creeps, he just wished Ino would give up and marry Shikamaru already. Ino gasped happily and turned to Shika.

"C'mon!" She gave him a couple smacks on the leg, trying to get him up.

"What are you doing? What if he finds out I'm here?"

"_Exactly_! Guys need some competition!" She paused and turned for the door, "Or you know, the illusion of it." That just irked Shikamaru. There were a thousand things wrong with that statement. First of all, guys (at least Shikamaru) _hated_ competing for girls. And now he was just some sort of tool or accessory being used to make another guy jealous? Nonetheless, he knew better than to defy Ino, and he got up slowly and dragged himself behind her, pouting.

When they got downstairs, Sai wasn't the least bit jealous. If anything, he was happy to see Shikamaru. Poor guy, he just really wanted a friend. He had no idea what he was getting into, going out on a date with Ino.

"Are you coming with us? I'm glad to hear the book was wrong about the unpopularity of polygamy." Sai smiled innocently. Ino, her father, and Shikamaru all flushed red and nearly fainted.

"Hahaha! Sai-kun, you are _sooo_ funny, isn't he?" Ino laughed nervously, nudging Shikamaru harshly in the side until he played along. Inoichi went from crimson to pale but he just gave a hesitant wave as Sai and Ino headed off. Before Shikamaru went the other way to his house, Inoichi grabbed him by the arm and pulled him in closer. Shikamaru's eyes grew thrice their size.

"I swear it's not like that! I didn't even watch her change, I swear, I was sleeping!" Shikamaru began to stammer nervously, fearing the wrath of Inoichi.

"No no!" Inoichi loosened his grip and patted Shikamaru on the shoulder, "I trust you…" He started; Shikamaru began to breathe normally again, "That's why I want you to make sure this 'Sai-kun' doesn't try anything funny." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to…spy on them?" Shikamaru squinted; he was clearly not up for that.

"Well…" Inoichi thought for a moment, "Well, yes. Honestly, that guy is weird."

"He's…harmless." Shikamaru admitted, "I would probably worry for him more than Ino." He immediately regretted saying that once he saw the look on Inoichi's face, this was his precious daughter. He struggled to explain himself, but all that came out was, "Okay, I'll do it." And he immediately regretted that, too. But he was stuck.


	2. Chapter 2: Enter Sasuke! (Shika Style)

Sasuke walked into the café, the waitresses soon huddled around him and he cursed to himself, _Shit, I knew I shouldn't have picked this guy. _It was actually Shikamaru under a genjustu. He suddenly felt silly and even ashamed. Why did he pick Sasuke? Did he secretly… flashbacks of Ino flirting and making googly eyes at the Uchiha flashed through his mind. _What the hell is wrong with me! _Shikamaru thought in frustration and shook off the memories. He chose a secluded spot in the back with a clear view of Ino and Sai. They seemed relatively bored together, with Ino doing most of the talking and Sai nodding his head nervously, desperately trying to understand her speedy, colloquial Japanese. She would make momentary pauses, hoping for a response. When Sai would just stare at her blankly and smile, she would just continue. Then, things took a complete and sudden turn.

Shikamaru's veins began to pop and his heart began to pound harshly against his chest when he saw Sai reach across the table, grab Ino's face and pull her into a big smooch. It must have lasted a few seconds, but to Shikamaru it felt like hours. He felt his stomach drop. He almost broke the genjutsu before getting a hold of himself.

"Is everything okay?" A concerned waitress asked, "Sasuke" nodded slowly and asked for some water which he immediately chugged. He rubbed his hands roughly against his face and then decided to look back when he accidently made eye contact with Ino. If her face was red before, it was now on fire, so he couldn't even guess what he looked like. Then it hit him. _She…thinks I'm…_

"Sasuke-kun!" Shikamaru looked in front of him to see Haruno Sakura, also known as Ino's best friend, wearing a puffy, short, pink dress and knee-high socks, blushing at him. "I can't believe you're early!" Shikamaru froze in terror. He couldn't believe this. This had to be a dream. A _nightmare_. "Oh, Ino-buta!" Sakura pointed and waved at Ino, who scowled. "Ugh, she still can't get over the fact that we're together." Sakura shook her head and whispered to "Sasuke", "That's why I convinced Sai to ask her out. I'm not even sure he knows this is a date." Shikamaru twitched. Was she serious?

"Well, I don't see why he wouldn't like her." Shikamaru said without thinking. He blushed right after. Sakura got kind of angry.

"What?!" She said between her teeth. "Do you have the hots for her or something? What's with that face, huh?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Shikamaru panicked. He really had to get it together.

"You're making that same stupid face Shikamaru always makes at her." She imitated Shikamaru's lovey-dovey eyes and mockingly gawked at Ino, "Oh hey look at me, I'm perpetually in the friendzone with a girl that would sleep with a rock if it gave off the right attitude but I'm too stupid to make a move." Shikamaru couldn't believe it. He thought Sakura was his friend. Was this really how she talked about him and Ino? He couldn't hide his feelings, and he started to walk away angrily before he wouldn't be able to control his rage.

"Wait!" Sakura shouted, gaining on lookers from those around them, including Ino and Sai. Shikamaru looked back at her in disbelief. He was suddenly grateful he wasn't Sasuke. Poor guy, no wonder he was such an asshole. Look at what he had to put up with! She walked towards him shyly, tears swelling up, sniffling. _Oh my god. Here I am thinking Ino is dramatic. _Sakura wrapped her arms around one of his, pressing them obviously into her chest. Shikamaru didn't want to be a jerk, but he instantly noticed yet another difference between Ino and Sakura. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. You know it's hard to be with someone like you…Every…*hick*everyone likes you…and I'm just…" Shikamaru began to feel guilty for his last thought. "I'm just so average." And then he had a great empathy for Sakura. He had never really considered how similar of a position she was in. He found himself embracing her in a friendly hug – which to her and the onlookers must have appeared romantic.

"You WHAT?!" Shikamaru and Sakura were interrupted by Ino's furious shriek. Shikamaru turned his attention to her, confusing and ticking off Sakura. Without thinking, Shikamaru headed towards Ino's table with Sakura trailing behind him. As he got closer, he began to understand the commotion.


	3. Chapter 3: A Confrontation?

"The last time I told a girl what I really think, she punched me in the face. It was really scary." Sai smiled, "So when I met you, I decided to do the opposite, and it worked. I called you beautiful because I thought you were really ugly. But I didn't want to get pu-"

Ino, Sakura, and the entire café gasped when Shikamaru – AKA "Sasuke" – knocked Sai off of his chair and onto the ground with a powerful and infuriated fist.

"You…you don't know anything!" Shikamaru hissed, "You're a real jerk! I want to mess you up so bad!" Sakura was horrified. "Ino is…!" Just then, some of the customers screamed. Shikamaru paused and looked at the entrance. He felt like he wanted the earth the swallow him whole.

Right before him, stood none other than Uchiha Sasuke. And he had roses in his hand.

"What." Was all Sasuke could manage. All of a sudden, Shikamaru found himself pinned against the wall by Sakura.

"WHO THE FUCK **ARE** YOU?!" She held up a fist but Ino caught it in midair. That was it. The breaking point. It was all over. The genjutsu broke, and as the smoke cleared, a pale Shikamaru stood awkwardly. Sakura passed out, Ino luckily caught her but nearly fell back herself.

"Shi…" Ino couldn't even articulate his full name.

"So you came after all!" Sai grinned, dusting himself off as he stood up, "But why did you punch me?"

It was a couple weeks after the "incident" when Ino pounded on the Nara Residence home. Shikaku answered after a couple minutes, tentatively, "Umm…Ino-chan! What brings you here?" Ino put her hands on her hips with sass and gave him a menacing look. This was not the first time they've been through this. "He's not home!" Shikaku tried to close the door but Ino struggled to keep it open. Finally, Yoshino swung it open, shoving her husband out of the way.

"This needs to end. Now. Please, Ino. Get him to leave this house!" Ino smirked, was this really Shikamaru's mom and not hers? She gracefully let herself in, sticking her chin up as she passed Shikaku and made her way upstairs. As she was about to knock on Shikamaru's door, he opened it. He was in his boxers, his hair was a mess, he had facial hair, he hadn't left his house in forever.

"I know what you're gonna say."

"_Really_."

"I'm sorry."

"For what? Hmm?"

"Don't do this."

"Don't do what."

"…"

"Exactly." She walked past him into his room and plopped onto his unmade bed. "Close the door."

"No. I wouldn't want any more misunderstandings."

Ino threw a pillow at him. He didn't bother dodging it. He closed the door and rubbed his neck, still standing, kicking the air.

"Avoiding us isn't going to make us forget what you did, ya' know. If you want everyone to get over it, man up and show your face." She looked at him but he wouldn't meet her eyes. "Emphasis on the _your_."

"Ino." Shikamaru collapsed to the door, rubbing his temples. "Why do you do this to me."

"Gee! I don't know! Why do you pretend to be Sasuke and steal his date with Sakura and spy on mine?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Well, excuusee me for not being able to understand you! You're freaking crazy and you – "

"Your dad put me up to it." When he said that, Ino stopped talking, feeling kind of embarrassed.

"You're serious?" Shikamaru nodded in response.

"What the heck Shikamaru?!" Ino groaned, throwing another pillow at him. She then aggressively grabbed him by the arm and pulled him onto bed with her. His face flushed. She pinned him down to his back and sat on top of him. Shikamaru was at a loss for words. In fact, he was far too concerned with keeping his pulsing manhood under control. "Don't look so scared, you dork." Ino teased, sticking her tongue out slightly between her grinning teeth. She leaned in closer to him, as if she was about to kiss him. He didn't know what to do, so he closed his eyes, preparing himself for a moment he had only dreamed about his whole life.


	4. Chapter 4: Finally

"So Sakura was right." Instead of meeting his lips, with a taunting tone, Ino softly spoke into Shikamaru's ear, mocking him with her warm breath on his skin. Shikamaru looked absolutely shocked and confused which made Ino giggle. "She told me." She winked, seductively pulling herself off of him, taking her time to curve her body – arms, legs, and waist – piece by piece until she was on her feet, cocking her head at him with a sly smile. "She told me you liked me."

Not only was he infuriated, but Shikamaru was also torn between kicking her out of his room or tackling her back onto his bed. He sat up and gave her an irate look before violently punching his sheets and pulling them from beneath him, scrunching them into a big, grey ball and tossing them angrily near Ino's feet. She began to take a step back, leading with her left shoulder and then with her right when Shikamaru grabbed her by the wrist and finally looked her into the eyes.

"I'm done being a joke to you." He said firmly, momentarily squeezing her, almost leaving a mark, butthen his confidence failed and his grip was lost, his arm hanging off his bed in defeat while he refocused his gaze on the wall behind her. "I don't really think we can even be friends anymore." Once he said that, Ino's mouth hung open and she turned pink.

"Why are you being so sensitive? What did I do?" Ino gulped and Shikamaru shook his head. _I hate when she plays the innocent victim. _"Whatever, you know we're not gonna stop being friends." She paused, waiting for a lighthearted groan of annoyance or a remark on how troublesome she was, or at least that silly little pout he did with his bottom lip, but Shikamaru kept a serious face going. "Shikamaru!" She felt like she should slap him, but then cursed herself for considering that. What she really wanted to do was just kiss him. She almost had, that's what she had honestly wanted to see Shikamaru for.

"I don't want to play this stupid game anymore. Shikamaru, I love you, too." She imagined herself saying, but she choked with tears just as she thought about it and she started to breath heavily. _Oh why can't he just make the first move? _Ino contemplated, hovering over a stern Shikamaru. The air felt heavy and awkward, contrasting with their usual comfort, and they both hated it.

"Okay bye." She finally said, regretting speaking because her voice had shaken. She attempted to catch his gaze just one more time before giving up and walking out. Shikamaru breathed a deep sigh of relief. _Did I finally stand up to her? _He thought, noticing it didn't feel as great as he had always pictured.


	5. Chapter 5: Split!

The very next day, Shikamaru was shaken awake by his mother. He whined desperately when he peered at the clock on his nightstand that read 8 A.M.

"Lady Tsunade called last night and said to report this morning. I decided to let you keep sleeping so you would be well rested today." She patted his hair and walked out, she knew her son hated waking up early but was also confident in his responsibility towards his ninja duties. As he struggled to wake up fully, he realized there was a piece of paper in his hand that he was resting his head on. It was the picture of him and his team back when they had just become genin. It was then that he remembered what happened yesterday. He sat up and stared blankly at the pillows still on his floor where Ino had thrown them and his sheets curled up next to where she had stood. He shook off the thoughts and stepped into his bathroom across his room for a cold shower. He attempted to focus only on the shock from each shot of icy water fiercely hitting his skin.

"What kind of mission?" Shikamaru asked, between bites. His mom had made chocolate pancakes instead of the traditional miso, rice, and vegetables for breakfast, so Shikamaru was beginning to wonder.

Yoshino replied with a half-smile, "I'm not sure exactly what but she said it was working with Sunagakure somewhere." She gave him a tall glass of half soy half cow milk and urged him to finish quickly. "You'll be late." Once he was done, instead of clearing the table she followed him to the front door, some tears in her eyes.

"Mom…" Shikamaru groaned.

"It's just…every time you go on these long missions…I…" Yoshino sniffled. Shikamaru gave her a quick but comforting kiss on the cheek.

"Don't worry about me." He grinned and gave a wave before heading off.

"Look who decided to show up." Shikamaru recognized Temari's voice instantly as he walked into Tsunade's office. However, he was surprised to see Temari's brothers as well as Chouji and Ino there as well. To make matters worse, Sakura was standing behind Tsunade's desk, filing some papers.

Shikamaru decided it was in his best interest to not make a remark on how he was only two minutes late and proceeded to stand next to Chouji, avoiding eye contact with Ino or Sakura.

"Sakura, I'll handle that, could you fill Shikamaru in and get going? It's getting late." Tsunade ordered and Sakura nodded.

"There have been terrorist attacks on the border of Sunagakure." Sakura began, "The attacks seem to not have been targeted to Suna directly but to a nearby, smaller village known as Shiogakure. Since the attacks have reached the border and the Shio village does not have its own army, Sunagakure is responsible for taking care of these terrorists. Although it has yet to be confirmed, there are rumors that the attacks are by Sound Ninja trying to colonize yet another village." Sakura took a breath. "We can't risk it, Konoha has to help." Shikamaru nodded at her, momentarily forgetting their tension. Sakura looked across the room. "We're being split into two groups," She pointed at Kankuro, "I'll be joining Shikamaru and Temari and you'll be taking my place here in Konoha for a simple escort mission with Naruto and Sai. Ino and Cho-"

"No way! Why can't I go?" Kankuro complained, Tsunade growled at him impatiently.

"Sakura and Ino are the most skilled medical ninja available at the moment," Tsunade sighed, "They are also both experienced with Suna-Konoha diplomatic issues and as part of the new law passed, any mission of B rank and up requires at least one medical ninja per group. This mission is set at A for now, but it could even rank up to S." She squinted, hands folded in front of her mouth, "This isn't time for whining, besides, you'll be interacting with officials of Shiogakure, a very traditional small village that won't take well to rude kids like you!" Kankuro twitched but even he knew not to defy Tsunade. "That's also why I split the groups the way I did." She turned to team 10, "Shikamaru and Ino," They both stiffened, "You took work really well together but on a personal level…well, you're a total migraine together, constantly bickering at the drop of a hat." They both blushed. "Shikamaru, you seem to get along well with Sakura and Temari. Ino, you and Chouji are passive enough and Gaara will definitely encourage the peace and quiet." For the rest of the details, Ino and Shikamaru were both absolutely mortified of what Tsunade had just said in front of everybody. "Alright, I'll see you all in two weeks! Good luck!" And with that, the two teams set out.


	6. Chapter 6: Ino vs Temari

"You two are awfully quiet." Temari commented as they glided through the forest branches, breaking the obvious tension between Sakura and Shikamaru like a sharp knife. "Are you both trying to come up with some master plot to take these guys down?" Silence. "I don't care what kind of lovers quarrel you two got into, just don't let it interfere with the mission."

"We're not dating." Sakura said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Okay." Temari scoffed. "Like I said, I don't care." The two days trip was exhausting and quiet, and Temari informed them they would take a brief break. "We're meeting my brother and your teammates in about an hour." Temari stated, getting Sakura and Shikamaru's attention. "Take a nap or work out your problems or whatever, but no drama when they get here, cuz we're getting a complimentary bath house ticket and assigned rooms at a hotel for the night," Temari informed, implying that they would be split up for the night according to gender. "We'll get back into these groups in the morning. We'll meet in the front about an hour later than the other group – I guess that's another reason Tsunade-sama put you in my group." Temari slipped that part in, smirking at Shikamaru. Sakura raised her pink eyebrows at them. "So if you're gonna fight or argue do it now. We don't need any more strain or distraction among the group." After her speech, Temari began to walk away, "I'll be nearby. You two talk it out, I'll be back in about thirty minutes.

"Wait!" Sakura called out, but Temari ignored her and just kept going. Sakura paced for a while before crossing her arms and facing Shikamaru. "Hey…"

"Hey." He responded, despite their awkward encounter before, there was no animosity in his voice.

They both stared at each other for a couple minutes, silently.

"I'm sorry!" They both blurted out at the same time, embarrassing each other.

"Don't apologize! I shouldn't have said all that stuff and I-"Sakura confessed.

"No, no," Shikamaru waved his hand at her, "What was I thinking impersonating Sasuke?"

"Well, that was kind of weird." Sakura admitted, chuckling, "But it really wasn't that bad. I understand. You gotta do what you gotta do for true love, after all." Shikamaru's face turned bright red and he shook his head in denial. "I'm sure Ino was a lot happier that it was you instead of Sasuke that stood up for her…and so was I!" Sakura gave him a friendly but slightly painful punch on the arm.

_Why would Ino be glad it was me and not Sasuke? _Shikamaru wondered and was about to ask but Sakura changed the subject and he decided it was best to leave it all as water under the bridge.

When Temari came back, she smiled at the two chatting and then cleared her throat, interrupting them, "Here are the keys to the men's bath." Temari handed them over to Shikamaru and led them to the Suna hotel entrance. She pointed to the right, "Do down this hall and to the left there's an elevator. Your room is on the fourth floor and there's a map of Suna as well as the hotel. Once your friend and Gaara get there, you can all go to the onsen." Shikamaru nodded and then gave Sakura a quick smile before walking towards his room. "Our room is in the building next door," Temari explained to Sakura, "There's a path connecting the two building but it's being renovated so we'll have to go around. We should wait for the Princess to get here or she might get lost."

"Are you… talking about Ino?"

"I'm not good with names." Sakura was shocked at how forward Temari was, she opened her mouth to defend her friend but Temari cut her off. "Don't get all offended, I just call them how I see them. I don't have anything against her personally." She repeated, "No drama, 'kay?" Sakura clenched her fist but complied, keeping her comebacks to herself.

"The Princess has arrived!" Temari and Sakura both spun around in surprise to see Ino parade into the hotel and towards them, a hand on her revealed hip a feisty expression on her face. Gaara pretended not to be humiliated and Chouji just stood there nonchalantly, already used to his fiery comrade. Some of the men in the lobby took notice of Ino and began to undress her from head to toe. "Don't worry, no offense taken." She sneered at Temari, "Like you said, you just call them how you see them. So who can blame you for recognizing how beautiful I am? I wouldn't blame someone for being jealous." Temari cackled loudly in response and the three kunoichis strolled to the other building.

While they stripped off their hotel robes, Sakura was the first to secretly examine both of the other girls' bodies. She felt instantly self-conscious of Ino's lingerie model figure and intimidated by Temari's shapely curves. She wondered what kind of body guys really preferred. Ino seemed to fit what most guys would describe as their "type" – Rapunzel-long, platinum blonde hair, light eyes, slim figure, and a bouncy B-cup. On the other hand, Temari resembled what she had read in her biology books as what a women are "supposed" to be – a lot fuller than Ino, with rounder hips, a bigger butt and thighs, and a heavier chest. Sakura covered her flat A-cups in shame and hid them under the hot water, sinking down until her chin. She noticed Ino and Temari eye the other's anatomy quickly before going in themselves.

"I'm guessing you two worked it out." Temari aimed at Sakura who nodded. "Good." She said flatly, and then leaned against the edge of the tub with her elbows back, protruding her breasts forward. Ino looked at Sakura who mouthed "Shikamaru."

"What did he say?" Ino couldn't hide her interest. She wanted so badly to be on good terms with Shikamaru, as well.

"Not much," Sakura tried to be discreet, "I don't think he's mad. I'll tell you later."

"Don't tell me this one has drama with that slacker, too." Temari huffed. Ino's veins began to pop.

"Don't tell me you're a nosy bitch." When Ino said that, Sakura sprang out of the water instinctively. The two blondes turned their attention to her.

"I-I…oh…I don't feel so…" And she collapsed into the scalding water. Ino rushed over to make sure she was alright. Sakura looked at her swiftly and gave her a little wink before closing her eyes again. She was trying to avoid the conflict, but Ino wouldn't take the bait.

"You're so lame!" Ino let go of Sakura, allowing her to splash back into the heat and swallow some water. "I'm not scared of her!" Ino barked about Temari who just curved a side of her lips into a cocky smile.

"You guys!" Sakura got between them, "Let's not do this, okay? Let's just relax so we can focus on the mission tomorrow!" But Temari reached behind herself and got a kunai she had snuck in under her towel. Ino prepared herself. This time, Sakura almost did actually faint.


	7. Chapter 7: Temari- Friend or Foe?

The kunai flew sharply past Ino, dangerously close to her face but only slashing off a strand of her hair while crashing straight into the wall of the bath behind her. A frantic screech from the other side of the wall was heard and Ino shot out of the water and walked over to it and pulled the kunai out and screamed.

"What?! Are you o- AIIIIIIIIII!" Sakura yelped as she got near Ino and saw the bloody kunai with an eye ball hanging from it. Sakura finally passed out into the water but Temari caught her head before it sunk it. Ino dropped the kunai, her hands trembling, before she puked.

"Ino!" Ino snapped out of her trance when she heard Shikamaru. He made it into the bath, half-naked girls in the changing room squealing and throwing shampoo bottles and hairbrushes at him as he ran by. He raced over to Ino and grabbed her by the face, looking into her worried, blue-green eyes, "Are you okay? Did that guy come in here?" He was sweating, completely out of breath, and then Ino looked down and blushed when she noticed he was only in a towel- _Wait…_ she thought, then it hit her.

Ino's face flushed so badly she looked like it would pop off her body, which she was desperately trying to cover, as she only just realized she was naked. Shikamaru caught on, and covered his face, only getting a quick peek at her figure.

"I-I…" he stuttered but then just got up and tried to compose himself, his hand over his bleeding nose, but then he looked over to Sakura in Temari's arms and just ran out before things got worse. Temari couldn't help laughing at the whole thing. She grabbed her towel and walked over to Ino and put it around her.

"Don't get so freaked out, Princess." She said, it was strange because her words were mean but her tone was delicate, "You're a shinobi." Ino looked up at her in disbelief. "But you're also a girl, right? That's why he reacted that way." Temari winked.

"How did you know that guy was there?" Temari asked Shikamaru as he bent down to pick up the beers from the vending machine. He handed one to her. She had gone over to the main building to report the incident to find Shikamaru already doing so.

"There were a couple of guys talking about some 'hot foreign girls' they were gonna spy on. When they said 'barbie' and 'pink hair', I knew it was them. Your brother and Chouji came with me and found his pals and messed them up pretty bad, but one of them got away so I was chasing him." Shikamaru closed his eyes and took a breath. Temari was a bit taken back by how upset he got about it. "I really hate guys that do that stuff." He was getting a bit angry, "I…she always changes in front of me." Temari raised her eyebrows and Shikamaru made a weird face, "But I don't look."

"Uh, I see."

"No really, I don't. That's why I hate guys like that. I'm with her all the time. I know she wears skimpy clothes and she flirts with guys…" He was so flustered, fumbling over his words and began to chug his beer. "But she's a girl and a real man…real men don't do those things, no matter how tempting they don't just disrespect girls and try to look at them naked or…" He stopped, crushing the can in his hand, yellow beer spilling over, dripping on the floor, "They said they were gonna go rape you guys." Temari looked away in disgust.

"I would have killed them."

"I know."

"Calm down." Temari commanded, taking the beer from Shikamaru's hand and tossing it into nearby garbage. He kicked the vending machine. "Whoa! You're gonna get us kicked out, you know!" She raised her voice but he didn't appear to relax. Instead, tears swelled and fell from his eyes.

"They said she looked easy. That she wouldn't put up a fight." He raised his arm to punch the vending machine but Temari held him back, "I'm going to find him and rip his other eye out and kill him. I swear to god I'll kill him and all his stupid friends!"

"We're on a mission, you need to get a hol-"

"Fuck this stupid mission!" Shikamaru shook her off and punched the vending machine so hard a bunch of snacks and drinks fell out. He managed to make a crack in the machine and started bleeding from his knuckles. He stomped away and hollered back at Temari, "I don't care if I get kicked out or in trouble, I honestly don't give two shits!"


	8. Chapter 8: A Late Night Visitor

"Get me another!" Shikamaru shouted sloppily at the bartender. He had lost track on what drink he was on: 6th? 10th? No clue.

"Shikamaru-san." Gaara placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "Are you alright?" Shikamaru nodded, swaying side to side. Gaara caught him, placing Shikamaru's arm over his shoulders and supporting him by holding him by the waist. It was a bit uncomfortable because Shikamaru was taller, but Gaara managed. "Let's go back to the room. You must be tired."

"I'm always tired." Shikamaru laughed sadly. "I'm a sad little boy who sleeps away his feelings." He sulked, half-heartedly fighting tears.

Gaara didn't say anything. Instead, he just tightened his grip and stumbled around trying to get him out of the bar. Chouji appeared next, grabbing Shikamaru by the other side and giving Gaara a weak smile.

"I'll take it from here," Chouji assured, "You should go check on your sister." Gaara agreed and thanked Chouji and gave Shikamaru a friendly pat on the back before leaving. "Don't worry buddy. It's going to be okay." He whispered to Shikamaru, who was crying hysterically at this point.

There was a knock at the kunoichi's door and Ino raced over to the door. She was always a night owl, so she was used to being up late, but she never expected visitors late. She peered through the little hole on the door but couldn't recognize the short, redheaded girl knocking. She had a concerned look on her face however, so Ino decided to open the door. The girl was really pretty, she had crystal blue eyes emphasized by a dark liner, those orbs looked especially big when she saw Ino, and the girl blushed.

"Good-evening," She said shyly, "Is Temari here?"

"She's sleeping. Are you a friend of hers?" Ino didn't sense any malice from this girl, she almost got a familiar feeling from her. "Do you need help? Want to come in?" The redhead nodded and walked through the door. Ino led her to a seat and went to prepare some tea.

"I'm sorry for bothering you so late. You must have a long day tomorrow." The girl stated, but Ino just insisted there was no trouble at all. "The truth is, I'm a relative of Temari, and I met up with her today. She told me about the mission and all, but when I saw her later she looked a bit upset. Probably some boy troubles." Ino dropped a glass.

"Crap!" Ino muttered to herself, trying to clean up quickly, "I hope I don't wake them up!" She scrunched her shoulders up like a frightened cat. "My friend is a real cranky bitch when you wake her up, haha."

"Temari?"

"Oh no! Not her," Ino stopped to think, "I don't really know her like that. There's another girl with us."

"Yes, I think Temari has told me that you usually travel in trios." Ino agreed and brought over the warm tea. The girl thanked her and was about to take a sip when Ino asked her a question.

"My name is Yamanaka Ino. I'm from Konohagakure." She smiled, "What's your name?" The girl's eyes widened again.

"Is everything okay?! I heard glass? Don't tell me you brok e another glass you clumsy pig!" Sakura said grumpily, walking out of her room, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She noticed the girl, "Oh!" She was slightly embarrassed and bowed, "I'm sorry I didn't realize we had a guest." Sakura figured the girl was younger than her, so she made herself comfortable next to her. "I'm Haruno Sakura." She smiled sweetly, causing the girl's cheeks to become rosy. "Are you okay? Do you have a fever?" Sakura was concerned, and she put a cool hand on the girl's warm face. "Hmm, you know I'm a medic, I can give you a look if Ino tries to poison you." She winked, and the girl got even redder and stood up.

"Thank you. But I think I should go now. I'm sorry again for coming so late." The girl bowed and made her way to the exit.

"Hey, wait!" Ino called, "You didn't tell us your name…"

"Oh, it's…" The girl hesitated, "Um…Matsu…no…" She fiddled with her long bangs… "Ai! Aiko. My name is Aiko…" She finally declared bowing, and waving goodnight. Ino and Sakura looked at each other a bit strangely but then nodded and walked her out.

"Wow, she was really pretty." Sakura sighed as the girl left.

"She was so into you." Ino teased, nudging Sakura.

"No way!" Sakura blushed, "You weirdo."

"She didn't really look like Temari, though." Ino pondered, "She said they were related."

"Yeah, but she kind of looked like Gaara, don't you think?" Sakura wagged a finger as she made the realization.

"Are you implying that Gaara-san is pretty? Haha, I'm going to tell Sasuke-kun!" Ino giggled, Sakura threatened to punch her. The two friends started wrestling, and managed to noisily knock down a lamp.

"Is Shikamaru the only person that sleeps in Konoha or what?" Temari groaned as she stepped out of the room. "You guys realize we have a mission in like five hours, right?"

"Sorry, Sakura had a date come over just now." Ino snickered, earning a harsh shove from Sakura. "Just kidding, forehead!" She returned the push, Temari rolled her eyes. She couldn't recall if she was ever that immature at sixteen. "Your sister or cousin or something came. What was her name? Matsuri?"

"Noo," Sakura added, "Matsuri is Gaara-san's student. That girl was Aiko."

Temari thought for a moment and then just laughed to herself and nodded. "Oh, you two." She shook her head and turned back to the room and waved, "Keep it down, alright? You're both really noisy!" Sakura and Ino looked at each other and made gagging faces at each other. Oddly enough, though, it had sort of become a dynamic among the three girls to pick on each other. They were starting to feel like friends with Temari.

* * *

I had fun with this chapter so I hope you do, too! This was a bit more of a comic relief chapter as well as some development for the friendships among the characters. (I guess a little yuri and the sly Gaasaku hint here and there never hurt anybody, either.) Don't worry, Ino and Shikamaru will re-unite...or will they? Muahahaha :O

Stay tuned ;)


	9. Chapter 9: My name is Setsuko

Shikamaru woke up feeling like absolute crap. He was not the type to feel rested after only a couple hours, and his headache wasn't helping. He looked over at the clock which indicated he was twenty minutes late.

"SHIT!" He cursed himself, ripping the sheets off and changing quickly, getting everything together as quick as possible. _Shit Shit Shit! Sakura and Temari are going to __**kill**__ me! _He stopped for a moment because his head was throbbing. _UGHH! _But he had to pull through, and he raced towards the meeting place. When he got there however, he saw a Gaara standing with his hands in his pockets, Chouji chowing down a breakfast bagel and…Ino, yawning. It was a bit chilly outside, and she was wearing a warm looking sweater and her face was free of makeup. For a brief moment Shikamaru forgot about his pounding head and the mission and the confusion of seeing them instead of his group and was entranced at how cute and snuggly Ino looked. He was a sucker for when she dressed modestly. He didn't understand how Gaara and Chouji could just stand near her and not be affected by how perfect she was.

"Shikamaru?" Ino seemed surprised to see him, too. "What the hell? Why are you up?" She rubbed her eyes, as if she was still dreaming.

"I…" Shikamaru was clueless himself.

"I'm sorry." Gaara spoke quietly, "Err…"

"We set your alarm an hour and a half early…because we figured it would take you some time to get out of bed. But you actually got up! Man, your head must be killing you!" Chouji laughed, feeling slightly bad but entertained. Shikamaru moaned loudly in agony, gripping his head in his hands.

"What's wrong with your head?" Ino walked over to him and was going to put a hand on his face but he moved away, she appeared a little hurt by the rejection of her gesture. "Geez, talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed, even for you."

"Yeah well, I don't need more of a headache this morning." He responded. He had no idea what had possessed him to treat her that way, but he couldn't hold back the flashbacks of what had happened a few days ago, even if she looked that damn cute. He feared her response, but she didn't give one. She just swallowed loudly and walked back to her original spot.

"I think we should go now." She said, leading Chouji and Gaara. Gaara didn't want to get involved, so he just nodded at Shikamaru and followed Ino. Chouji looked back at his best friend with an uneasy expression. _I hate when you two fight._ Shikamaru could read that statement clearly on his face.

Shikamaru had gone back to his room to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything and with the intention of sleeping a bit more, but he just sat blankly on his futon. He didn't want to think about anything, but his reaction to Ino this morning kept replaying over and over in his head. He began to wonder if that's how Sasuke felt about Sakura. He knew that he loved her, but did she suffocate him too much? When a girl you find beautiful is suddenly attracted and all over you, does it repel you? _I've never felt like she was so in my reach, _Shikamaru thought, _she is so close it scares me. She is so close I feel like I'm gonna fuck everything up. _Then he felt silly for thinking that. _Did I really just compare Sakura's feelings to Sasuke to Ino to me? _He laughed pathetically at himself, _As if Ino would ever feel that way about a dull guy like me. _But as soon as that thought appeared so did the vision of Sakura wrapped around his arm, holding him so tightly because she thought he was Sasuke, "I'm so average," she had said. _Average. _Could it really be? _No, no. _Shikamaru concluded, attempting to drill it into his brain. _It's not the same thing. It isn't. _

"Whoa, Shikamaru-kun?" Sakura looked at him, shocked. He noticed her eyes were a bit puffy, he wondered what had kept her up so late. "Did you sleep that well? Ino is really annoying at night, I swear. I totally get why you're always sleepy now, haha." She attempted to get him to talk about her before Temari got there. She could sense there was still plenty of tension between them but she had only managed to get Ino's side of the story. Shikamaru, however, seemed more difficult to read than Sasuke, Sakura thought; _at least I can tell when Sasuke is mad. Shikamaru just looks like he'd rather be taking a nap at all times. _Unfortunately for Sakura, Temari arrived before Shikamaru could possibly give a response – although he probably wouldn't have, anyways.

"Morning." She said coldly at Shikamaru without looking at him and began walking ahead. _Oh great, what happened between __**them**__? _Inner Sakura was starting to get frustrated. _Wasn't she the one that said "no drama"? _

Shiogakure was only about forty five minutes away on foot, and they were greeted by a strawberry blonde girl sporting a messy bun, maybe Temari's age, and a little taller than Sakura. She had flirty, pale grey eyes with heavy eye makeup, thick, long lashes, dark brown eyebrows and freckles. She was wearing a long, black skirt with a black v-neck top that was tight around her plump, freckled chest and loose around her arms, exposing her thin shoulders. She seemed to draw extra attention to her breast, Sakura noticed enviously, with an assortment of silver necklace charms.

"My name is Setsuko." She said, her voice was confident and demanding. She gave Sakura and Temari a quick glance before focusing on Shikamaru. "I really like your eyes," she said to him, exposing a charming smile, "I'm a sucker for guys with eyeliner." She eyed him head to toe, and tugged on his fishnets, "Cool style, man. I really-"

"Umm, can we skip this?" Temari interjected, Sakura stood there awkwardly. "We came to find terrorists not girlfriends, okay?" Setsuko's mouth gaped a little, but she didn't appear to be distraught by Temari's straightforward personality.

"Alright, alright, I like you." Setsuko giggled, this time checking out Temari who just frowned at the fact that she was unaffected.


	10. Chapter 10: The Straw

"This is the area we will be covering," Masaru, Ino's group guide in Shiogakure explained, pointing at a map. He looked at Ino and smiled, exposing dimples, "You understand?" She nodded, noting not to allow herself to get further distracted by how unbelievably handsome this guy was. He was probably in his twenties, he was tall and muscular with trim, raven hair and he had those dark blue, almond shaped eyes that she loved. "Anyways, we'll be guarding the border at night; I understand there is another group? They will switch shifts with you in the morning, so you're very welcome to explore the town if you'd like or you can just rest up."

"I want to go out." Ino beamed, "I don't usually sleep much anyways, and I love seeing new places and meeting new people."

"I think I'm gonna rest up," Chouji began, but he was interrupted by his howling stomach, "On second thought, how about we all get a bite to eat?" Masaru agreed and glanced over at Gaara.

"Well…I'm not that hungry…"

"Is there anything else you'd rather do? I can-" Masaru insisted.

"No I don't want to inconvenience anyone," Gaara sighed, "Alright I guess I could eat." His teammates cheered and Masaru led the way to a popular barbeque spot.

"Masa-niichan!" Setsuko shouted, knocking Ino from Masaru's side and wrapping her arms around Masaru's neck, "What are you doing here?" Masaru looked nervously over at Ino.

"Oh…Setsuko-chan…"

Setsuko pouted, "Is that anyway to greet your darling little sister?"

"Shikamaru!" Chouji waved at sight of his best friend.

"You okay?" Temari asked Ino, helping her up from the ground where she had been pushed to. "She's a real bitch, isn't she?" She whispered, and the two blondes chuckled. Shikamaru squinted at them, wondering when they had become so friendly with each other.

"No way! You two are brother and sister?" Chouji asked curiously, not seeing the resemblance.

"Just look at Temari and Gaara," Ino suggested, poking Sakura's cheek, "Riiighhtt Sakura-chan? You did say Gaara was prettier than her!" Sakura and Gaara both flushed.

"That's not what I said!" Sakura snapped, "Don't listen to her!" She sunk her head in Gaara's direction. He just attempted to hide his embarrassment and shook his hand at her in objection.

"Aww don't tease her!" Masaru winked at Ino, playfully wagging his finger at her. Shikamaru's bottom lip jutted forward, making his famous grouchy frown. He felt a tug on his fishnets from Setsuko again.

"Hey, I don't really like barbecue," She said in a low voice, "Do you want to go to a little ramen shop at the corner, instead? It's not so crowded" Shikamaru was taken by surprise, and was unsure of how to respond. Ramen did sound better than barbeque right now. He definitely preferred a calmer atmosphere rather than something busy and noisy.

"Sure." He finally said, deciding to take a chance.

"Where are you going?" Shikamaru was stunned by Ino's abrupt clasp on his hand. He looked down at her puppy dog face, the same one she convinces him with to go to places he hates or to do her bothersome favors. He had to admit, though, it was pretty convincing.

"Ramen shop." He said, keeping the intense stare-off and his hand in hers.

"Oh, okay, Naruto-kun." After that remark, he pulled his hand away. "Don't get your panties in a bunch again! I just didn't know you were that into ramen all of a sudden."

"We always eat barbecue."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I want to try something new."

"I never took you for the adventurous type."

"Why are you being so annoying?" That was it. The group was startled by the loud smack Ino swung across Shikamaru's face. Bystanders gasped and mumbled to each other.

"Guys…" Chouji furrowed his brow, walking towards them, "What's going on?" But neither Ino or Shikamaru responded, they just kept staring at each other, fuming with rage.

"Don't touch me." Shikamaru breathed heavily, "Never again. Don't fucking touch me!"

"Or what?" Ino hissed, raising her hand again but Setsuko caught it in midair.

"If you touch him again, you deal with me."

Ino blared in laughter. "REALLY?" She snatched her hand out of Setsuko's grip and got dangerously close to her face, "And who the fuck are you?" Masaru stepped in and wrapped his bulging arms around Ino's chest, he spoke into her ear.

"Just ignore her. Please, my sister is crazy." He got closer and lowered his voice even more, "She's not strong like you. I'm afraid you'd tear her to pieces." Ino looked back at Shikamaru and then faced the striking stranger that was enveloped around her. She just nodded and Masaru loosened his hold, passing his arms slowly through Ino's breasts. Shikamaru felt something yank at him, pissing him off to the point he just grabbed Setsuko by the hand and pulled her away with him.


	11. Chapter 11: Best Buds

"I'm just gonna go home, okay?" Ino exclaimed firmly at the group.

"I'll go with you." Temari offered.

"No it's okay."

"No, really. I don't want to be out either. I hate fooling around. I'm gonna go back to my room and get some more stuff to train." With that, Ino accepted. Temari could sense she wasn't in the mood to talk or anything, so she kept a reasonable distance behind Ino as they headed back to where they were staying.

"Are you sure you don't want some company?" Masasu hollered, but Sakura pulled him back.

"Leave her alone, kay?" She commanded. Masaru gave her a puzzled look, but Sakura's expression remained the same.

"I don't even think I'm hungry anymore." Chouji whimpered sadly. "My two best friends…" Then his stomach gave a vicious growl, "On second thought, I'm so upset, I want to forget about it over some barbeque."

"So…" Setsuko batted her lovely lashes at Shikamaru, "You're quite the chatterbox." She said sarcastically, and then loudly slurped her noodles. Shikamaru nodded instinctively, used to tuning girls out, and just fiddled with his food. "Are you mad at me?" He shook his head. "Is that girl with the long hair like…?" Shikamaru faced her, finally.

"What about that girl?" He suddenly appeared interested.

"I see."

"Nothing…"

"What?"

"I said nothing, didn't I?"

"Troublesome girls…" Shikamaru mumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Setsuko laughed, "Is that like your catch phrase? I heard you say it like twenty times on the way here." She made a mock pouty face, slumped her shoulders and slipped her hands into her nonexistent pockets: "Troublesome…" Shikamaru almost spit his ramen out. "No way! Did I really make you laugh?" She stuck her pink tongue out proudly.

"I'm sorry, it's just…" Shikamaru rubbed his cheek that was still a little rosy from the slap. "She's never hit me before." He confessed while staring down at himself in the reflection of the broth.

"Dude," She shook her head impatiently, "Girls _hate_ being called annoying. That's like, cardinal sin number 3." Shikamaru glanced over at her, looking deeply into her foggy eyes before speaking.

"Are you done eating?"

"I could eat barbeque forever!" Chouji exclaimed, shoveling all kinds of meat into his mouth. On the other hand, Sakura hadn't even touched her plate. "Are you going to eat that?" Chouji inquired excitedly. Her response consisted of blankly pushing her plate towards Chouji. As he was about to grab it, Gaara stabbed a fork between Chouji's hand and the plate.

"Whoa! You two playing Russian roulette over there?" Masaru joshed, elbowing Sakura next to him, who just looked irritated by even the minimal physical contact from the guy.

"She hasn't eaten anything." Gaara looked across the table at the pink haired girl in front of him.

"How cute," Masaru winked, "That you look out for her." Gaara turned red, although it was unclear whether he was more angry or embarrassed.

"If she doesn't eat anything, she'll be weak during the mission. The last thing we need is our medic passing out during battle." He explained.

"It's fine." Sakura smiled, shocking Gaara by momentarily placing her hand on his. "I don't like Korean Barbeque. It's too spicy!" She scrunched her face in a cutesy way, "Thank you, though." And she handed her plate over to Chouji. They were all quiet for a minute, and the air was thick as Gaara and Masaru seemed to be mailing visual daggers at each other.

"Do you want to go eat somewhere else, Sakura-san?" Gaara suggested. She blushed a little and assured him she wouldn't want to cause so much trouble.

"No really, I saw an onigiri shop along the way back to where we're staying," Gaara nodded, squinting his dark rimmed eyes at her, "If you go quickly I'm sure you'll catch it before it closes." He turned to his right, "Chouji, go with her."

"After one more round of barbeque?" He pleaded but Gaara maintained his stare. "Why don't you go with her?"

"Nervous it'll feel like a date?" Masaru teased, but Gaara refused to acknowledge him further. "I'll go with her, I'm done eating."

"No." Gaara stated. Masaru looked at him with surprise on his face, almost offended. "You can't go with her."

"And why not?"

"Don't worry, I'm going!" Chouji got up from his seat and gave Gaara a thumbs up. "I'm in the mood for some salmon!"

"My favorite is ume!" Sakura grinned, walking out with him. They gave Gaara one last look and he gave them an assuring nod.

"Sakura? Chouji?" Ino didn't expect to run into them at the onigiri shop on the way to the hotel. Temari looked confused as well.

"We came for some salmon and ume!" Chouji declared.

"What about my brother?" Temari asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Sakura furrowed her large brow, "He didn't seem like he wanted to come. He stayed at the barbeque place with Masaru." Temari appeared uneasy but she didn't say anything about it.

"After this snack I'm going to train. Come with me." She pointed sharply at Chouji who sulked but agreed. "You two should go rest up for tonight." She said to the other girls, "Ino-san…"

"Yes?"

"Make sure my brother is okay when he gets home." Ino found the request a bit strange, but she nodded.

"So is he really your brother?" Shikamaru asked, lying against a tree. They had decided to take a stroll and Setsuko had taken him to her "favorite spot".

"Mhm." She confirmed while taking out a compact, wooden pipe and a lighter. "Well, not biologically." She rummaged through her bag.

"You sure you don't just want a cigarette?" Shikamaru asked, wondering why someone would go through all the trouble of smoking tobacco through a pipe when cigarettes were so convenient. She shook her head, giggling.

"His dad had an affair when he was little," She finally pulled out a small, opaque baggie. "His mom went psycho when she found out so she stabbed him."

"Whoa."  
"No worries." Setsuko sighed, "He defended himself. But he ended up killing her in the process," She shrugged, "He couldn't take it though…he… killed himself, too."

"That's terrible. I'm so sorry."

"Why? He wasn't _my_ dad." She admitted. Shikamaru pondered for a moment, realizing that not everyone's parents were as close as the original InoShikaChou. "I really didn't know him. I was like three. I had never met my servants at the time." Shikamaru looked at her quizzically. "Oh, yeah," She blushed, "I'm kinda royalty or whatever here." She made a disgusted face, "But I'm not…like _that_, okay?" She groaned, "That's why I like meeting foreigners. They don't know who I am, so they treat me normal. That's why I got my dad to give me this job. I'm telling you…cuz…I guess for three reasons. First of all, you don't seem like you care about that stuff."

"Yeah, you're right." Shikamaru gave a small grin, "What are the other two reasons?"

"Oh…" She blushed, again. Then, she opened the little baggie in her hand, revealing a strong, unfamiliar odor to Shikamaru. She pinched some tiny green leaves from inside.

"What's that?" Shikamaru asked curiously, forgetting about his previous question. Setsuko burst out in laughter.

"You're not serious."

"What?"

"_You_ of _all _people," She couldn't stop laughing, "Don't have this…in the **_leaf_** village?" He just kept looking at her blankly. "Dude! This is marijuana? You know, ganja? Bud? Whatever you call it?" She took a handful out and shoved it into his face. "I can't believe it! You're gonna love this, man. You'll never smoke another cigarette again, I promise!"

"What is it?"

"An herb." She said, "A maaagiiicc herb." She winked.

"I'm not gonna trust that."

"Don't be such a baby! It's harmless!" She broke up the plant with her nails and sprinkled it into the bowl of the pipe. "You just light it like this," She lit the bowl, inhaling deeply, "You hold it for a little," She spoke like she was holding her breath somehow, then exhaled. She handed it over to him, "Your turn." Shikamaru hesitated, but he actually accepted it and attempted to copy her moves. He fell into a manic cough.

"What the actual fuck?" He huffed, "I'm supposed to like this?" He almost turned blue. Setsuko laughed wildly, much more than before and insisted he keep taking more hits.

"Trust me."

"Why should I?" Shikamaru made a grumpy face but he did what he lit the piece again, breathing in more comfortably this time.

* * *

Oh yes, that just happened lol. I hope those who are against the marijuana movement aren't mad at me teehee. It's just part of Setsuko's character, I assure you. Speaking of that, here is her bio:

Name: Setsuko

Birthdate: February 15

Astrological Sign: Aquarius

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Height: 169.2 cm (5'5 ft)

Weight: 52.2 kg (115 lbs)

Blood Type: B

Affiliation: Shiogakure

Ninja Rank: N/A

Occupation: Diplomat

Likes: Meeting new people, Heavy Metal

Dislikes: Judgmental people

Favorite Food: Pizza, Ramen

Least Favorite Food: None

Hobbies: Smoking weed, wandering around the forest

Family:

Masaru (Adoptive Brother)

Emperor (Father)


	12. Chapter 12: A Little Cheesy

"Gaara-san!" Ino raced to the door and swung it open, but was confused as to why Shikamaru was standing before her instead. "Shika…were you crying?" She said, noticing his bloodshot eyes.

"Pfftt!" Shikamaru had to cover his mouth in order to keep from laughing.

"Did I say something funny?" Ino crossed her arms. "Why are you here?"

Shikamaru didn't respond, he let himself in, still unable to wipe the smile off of his face. He walked into the kitchen and began looking for snacks. Ino slammed the front door closed and stomped her foot behind him. He turned around, a piece of cheese hanging from his mouth.

"Didn't you just eat?" Ino asked. Shikamaru spit out the cheese due to laughter and Ino just got grossed out and walked over to the couch. Shikamaru eventually joined her, making himself at home and plopping down next to her. She sat there, looking very serious while he giggled to himself, munching on random foods he had scavenged from her fridge. "You're bipolar Shikamaru." He must have started to get annoyed, but instead of complaining, he just reached into his pocket and plugged in headphones that were connected to a small music player. "Where did you get one of these?!" Ino snatched the device from his hands. "This shit is so expensive!" Shikamaru just nodded, and Ino realized he was head banging to the music, so she ripped an ear bud off, causing heavy metal to blare through the dangling headphone. "Ugh. Since when do you listen to this?"

"Didn't I say I wanted to try new things?" Shikamaru said, looking at her with low, glossy eyes. Ino looked really irritated and started to get up but Shikamaru pushed her back down by the shoulders and forced her to recline on the couch.

"Wha-What are you doing?" She whimpered. He climbed on top of her and got really close to her face. He looked down at her heaving chest and then back at her face. "Your boobs are smaller than hers."

"What the fuck?! GET OFF OF ME!" Ino screamed, absolutely infuriated. Shikamaru didn't get off but she managed to sit up and slapped him again. Twice. Once on each side of his face.

But Shikamaru didn't budge, he just kept looking at her with the same face and he grabbed her wrists and pinned her down again. _He's not even trying._ Ino realized, _Why is he so strong?_ Then it was too emphasized that he was indeed a man. The contrast between their sexes deepened, and Ino was suddenly embarrassed and nervous. She couldn't handle that feeling with Shikamaru. He pressed himself against her and she felt the bulge in his pants between her legs. _No no no! _She panicked, focusing too much on the fact that there were only clothes separating them from sex. _What the hell am I thinking? What the hell is HE thinking? _

Then it happened.

He kissed her. He really kissed her. His mouth was dry and he tasted like cheese. It was literally the least romantic situation possible, but Ino wanted to explode and melt at the same time from the feeling in her stomach. As he grinded against her, she felt a tingle below her abdomen; it was a sensation that drove her crazy. He was being the most passionate she had ever seen Shikamaru be, more passionate she thought possible. He kissed her sensually and roughly, as if he was absolutely famished for her lips. She felt herself becoming submissive to him as he ran his hands across her bare stomach, squeezing her thin, smooth waist within his coarse hands. He put his hands over her shirt and she tried to pull them off, remembering what he had just said. She wanted to curse at him and interrogate him on who exactly was bustier than her, according to him. Unfortunately for her, he wasn't getting off even though she was trying to shove him off. In fact, he put more of his weight on her and wouldn't let her speak or even breathe with his kiss, keeping a tight grip on her breasts.

Suddenly, he was the one to pull away, but Ino was speechless. Everything she was about to say dissolved. They were both heaving, staring at each other with a look that said "Did that really just happen?"

"I'm sorry," Shikamaru said out of breath, "I'm sorry." Ino gulped and shook her head shyly, indicating she was okay with what had just happened. "No…not that," He shut his eyes and his bottom lip quivered. "I…I kissed another girl." Ino's eyes got so wide they looked like they would burst, "Just now. I just kissed Setsuko. She got me high and I kissed her."

"Excuse me," Shikamaru and Ino were interrupted by Gaara's deep voice. They looked up and sure enough, he was standing at the doorway. How did they not even notice the door open? For some odd reason, he didn't seem very embarrassed, "We should really get going. Chouji is waiting for us downstairs." He seemed concerned, raising his voice, "We found the terrorists' location."


	13. Chapter 13: Some Crazy Dream

"Finally, you guys are here!" Chouji wiped sweat from his forehead, "Masaru went ahead, we gotta catch up or he might get killed! Did you tell the other team?"

"Luckily Shikamaru was in Ino's room…" Gaara nodded.

"Umm," Ino blushed, "I'm worried though, he wasn't exactly being himself." She shivered as she recalled the altercation they had just had. _He kissed her?_

"T-Temari-san! Sakura-chan!" Shikamaru pounded on the door frantically, "SETSUKO!" Finally, Setsuko answered the door.

"Heyy, what's wrong are you paranoid?" She rubbed her eyes, obviously waking up from a nap.

"NO! Well…yes…" Shikamaru thought to himself for a minute then focused again, "We found the terrorists! Well your brother's group did! I mean your step brother! I mean-"

"What?!" Setsuko panicked, "SHIT!" She started patting Shikamaru's face, "You need to sober up RIGHT NOW!" Shikamaru looked terrified, but his eyes were still bloodshot. _Oh my god, _Setsuko thought, _why did this have to happen? It's all my fault! _

**_ Setsuko had taken out her music player and popped an ear bud into Shikamaru's ear but he ripped it out almost as quickly._**

**_ "Too noisy!" He exclaimed, irritated. _**

**_ "Just give it a chance will ya'!" She put it back in and he just submitted to her request. "I see you're enjoying your high." She grinned, noticing how happy Shikamaru seemed, "You're lucky! I didn't get high until like, my fifth time."_**

**_ "Am I going to be addicted to this?" Shikamaru asked with a troubled look._**

**_ "No! It's not addictive like cigarettes! And it's healthy, too!" She gave him a thumbs up. He wasn't sure if he believed her, but he decided he didn't really mind either way. He just lay on his back and closed his eyes. _**

**_ "Reflecting on my past life and it doesn't have much time." The lyrics flooded into Shikamaru's ears, capturing him. _**

**_ "What's this song called?" _**

**_ "What?!" Setsuko gasped in disbelief, "Only the greatest song of all time! 'Hallowed Be Thy Name' by Iron Maiden!" Shikamaru looked deep into her glossed over eyes and smiled, realizing how pretty she actually was. Somehow, he had failed to notice before. Perhaps people just seem their most attractive when they're talking about something they love. _**

**_ "Can it be that there's some sort of error? Hard to stop the surmounting terror." The lyrics were piercing Shikamaru, hitting him heavily, he had never felt such an intensity with music before. He started to think too hard. The lyrics reminded him of his lifelong friendship and recent problems with Ino. His head was starting to hurt from analyzing it so much. "Is it really the end, not some crazy dream?" He started to get a lump in his throat, recalling everything he had done and said. Did he really stand up to her or had he just been cruel? He couldn't tell anymore. Had she been angry he didn't let her walk all over him or had she just been…jealous? Was his ego worth his best friend? "Somebody please tell me that I'm dreaming," Was it worth the love of his life? "Tears fall but why am I crying?"_**

**_ "Are you crying?" Setsuko asked, flipping from her back to her side, crawling up so she was face to face with Shikamaru. He just stared at the sky, melancholy washing over his face. Setsuko spoke very softly, "You're thinking about her again, right?" He finally admitted it, nodding._**

**_ "I love her so much. She's my best friend." He couldn't stop the tears at this point, "I want everything to be okay, again. But I can't forget what happened…everything is such a mess! And it was all because…because I pretended to be someone else!" He sobbed, "Why did I expect her to be gentle with me? I never let her in. I never let her know what I really wanted to say." _**

**_ Setsuko was very still and quiet for a moment. She swallowed and sniffled a little._**

**_ "I'm so sorry!" he gasped, "I don't know why I'm telling you this! I just met you but-" _**

**_ She interrupted him with a peck on the cheek, the same spot Ino had slapped him._**

**_ "If you think something's worth it," She breathed, "You got to let go of the bad memories. Replace them with good ones." She gave him a warm smile, "Besides, I'm sure you have plenty of awesome times you can think about instead, right?" _**

**_ She was so right, Shikamaru realized, he had never heard someone make so much sense in his life. He didn't know what he was feeling. He looked so confused. He felt like someone possessed him when he grabbed her face and pulled her in for a kiss._**

**_ "Wha-" Setsuko hesitated to kiss him back but he insisted, sticking his tongue into her mouth. He felt wrong, like he was wrong. But he didn't want to stop. Ino's face flashed through his mind so he kissed Setsuko harder, trying to escape from it. _**

**_ "I don't want to think about her anymore." They rolled over the grass a couple times until Setsuko ended up on top of him, now completely drawn into the kiss, not holding back. Shikamaru touched her all over, frantically, noting every difference from Ino. Her body was so different. Her body was perfect, what he had always imagined that he liked. She wasn't too thin or overweight, her thighs and ass were ample in his hands, she pulled off her top, and her breasts spilled over her bra. The headphones had long ripped out of his ears, but he was now distracted by the sound of her jingling necklaces. He was about to tear it off when he caught a glance of it: Among the charms, the one that caught his eyes was a silver rose. _**

**_ He pushed her off of him._**

**_ "What the hell is wrong with you?!" She huffed angrily and confused. "You're the one that kissed me!" He threw his hands over his face, and screamed. _**

**_ "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He panicked, thinking of the necklace, then Ino. Ino liked flowers. "I don't understand…" He begged, "Please forgive me! But I love Ino! I don't know…" _**

**_ Setsuko dusted herself off and stood up, grabbing her top and sloppily putting it back on. _**

**_ "Don't fuck with people's feelings!" She shouted, "Fuck you! That's your problem!" She pointed, stabbing his head with her nail, "That's her problem, too!" She stormed off, completely forgetting her music player and everything. "I won't hold a grudge," She walked back towards Shikamaru a little, just enough for him to hear her, "But if you don't make up with that girl…" She shook her fist, "I swear I'm gonna punch you in the face!" And then she vanished behind the trees. _**

****Shikamaru and Setsuko seemed to remember their encounter for a fleeting second that Setsuko's hand touched his face, but she pulled it back, rubbing her other arm with it.

"Let's go find the others!" They nodded firmly at each other.

Sakura and Temari walked into the room to find it empty. They saw Setsuko's bag but she or Shikamaru were nowhere to be found.

"Where did they go?" Sakura wondered out loud, looking at Temari who just shrugged. "Do you think…" she started, "Do you think there's something going on between those two?"

"What?" Temari blushed, "I don't think about those things." She walked over to the couch and crossed her legs, grabbing a nearby magazine.

"Don't you like Shikamaru?" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I'll kill you." Temari stated coldly, ruffling the newspaper. "Is that all you little girls think about? _Romance?_ We're shinobi for fuck's sake!"

"It was just a question."

"A stupid one."

"Well, fine, don't admit it." Sakura let out a humph, "He's crazy about Ino, anyways."

Temari rolled her eyes. "Seriously, it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out." She was about to make another sarcastic remark before there was a banging at the door. They looked at each other, figuring it was Shikamaru or Setsuko, or both.

"Aiko-chan?" Sakura was taken aback, she hadn't expected for Temari's friend back from the hotel at Suna to be there, "How did you get here?" She eyed her suspiciously, seeing how out of breath and distressed the little redhead appeared.

"Gaara!" Temari exclaimed, getting up and walking towards Aiko, shaking her by the shoulders, "Why are you disguised as a girl, again?"

"Huh?!" Sakura's mouth hit the floor when Aiko made a hand sign and smoke appeared, clearing away and revealing Gaara in her place.

"Err…" Gaara said awkwardly, "I'll explain on the way."

"Hey, Gaara-san," Chouji said as they reached their destination, a worn down, abandoned warehouse. "You never told us what happened between you and Masaru-san when we left the restaurant."

"Yeah," Ino added, "Your sister told me to make sure everything was alright."

"Heh," A sly smile sweeped across Gaara's face as he led them inside, "Be patient." He assured as he slam the door shut behind him, pulling a lever to his side, causing a large hunk of metal to spring down and lock them inside. Ino and Chouji's eyes widened, and they took a defensive stance.

"W-What's going on here, Gaara?" Chouji asked in confusion.

"You're not Gaara…" Ino hissed, pulling out a kunai. "Where's Gaara? And Masaru?"

"I said be patient, didn't I?" The mysterious imposter chuckled sinisterly, "All will be revealed soon enough."


	14. Chapter 14: For F's Sake!

"So you're telling me Masaru is the terrorist? And he kidnapped you?" Temari pinched her younger brother, "Is it really you? How the hell did that happen?"

"…It was…." Gaara's face gained a couple shades of red, "I don't want to talk about that." Sakura and Temari looked at him curiously. "He…tricked me, okay?"

"You mean how you tricked me into thinking you were a cute girl?" Sakura added.

"So you did say Gaara was prettier than me." Temari teased.

"Oh my god! That wasn't even-"

"Can we focus?" Gaara huffed, "I'm thinking we should take the chance that we'll run into Shikamaru-san and Setsuko-san on the way, and if we don't…"

"We'll handle it?" Temari looked at him, he nodded.

"Do you think we can?" Sakura worried, "I mean, did you get to see what kind of justu he has?"

"Yes…he seems to have some sort of advanced impersonation technique. I guess I could describe it as the shadow clone mixed with a transformation justu…That's how he managed to be in two places at once. He could pretend to be me but still be himself at the same time." Gaara shut his eyes for the next part.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"It seems he not only impersonates you…but he steals your kekkai-genkai as well as your mastered jutsus." Gaara looked down at his hand and made a fist, "That's why you were able to pinch me, Temari. He has my bijuu, or at least the sand that the shukaku possesses, I can't really tell." Temari and Sakura looked horrified. They had seen first-hand what Gaara's powers could do when used for evil. "I found a loop hole however," Gaara looked up at them hopefully, "It seems I can still do the transformation justu if it's to the opposite sex, which was helpful in getting over here without him noticing me. But, I don't seem to have any other powers besides that…" Gaara looked frustrated, "I'm sorry, I can only give you this information and his whereabouts, other than that…I'm pretty useless until I can figure out how to reverse his technique…"

"What's important is that you're safe." Sakura assured, placing a hand delicately on his shoulder, but he didn't seem comforted.

"The truth is, I'm scared for you guys. I'm thinking we should just head back to Sunagakure and request backup." Gaara suggested.

"Well, it is only forty five minutes away." Temari nodded.

"What if he hurts someone?" Sakura retorted.

"What if we go there and he kills us? Then a whole bunch of other people will die," Temari replied, harshly but honestly, "Sometimes you have to think with your brain and not with your heart." They all shared a silent moment, stopping in their tracks.

"Sakura's right." Gaara finally said. Both girls looked surprised. "We can't let him hurt anymore innocent people." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, "He…that guy is sick."

"What did he do?" Sakura walked towards him but he took a couple steps back.

"That's not important right now. I'll head back to Suna and you two distract him, I'll give you directions. You'll have to hold down the fort for a couple of hours."

"Have you lost it Gaara?" Temari's voice started to raise a few pitches, "What if you get hurt on the way? You realize you're either the Kazekage wandering around on his own or a defenseless little girl? Either way, in your condition, you won't be able to-"

"It'll have to do." Gaara stated firmly.

"What if a couple hours is too long?" Temari had him there.

"The solution is…" Sakura started, "The solution is for you, Temari, to take him there. With your fan, you could probably get there under twenty minutes, and get back here just as quickly. There really is no point in Gaara staying here. I can handle it. I promise."

Gaara and Temari looked at each other hesitantly. They didn't want to accept this strategy, but there was nothing much else they could do.

"Alright," Gaara stepped towards Sakura, "But if you can't hold out for the whole hour," He shocked her and his sister by grabbing Sakura's hand and squeezing, "You get out of there, no matter what, okay?" Sakura paused for a moment but then also squeezed his hand tightly.

"Don't worry about me. I'm not just a little girl." She grinned, looking over at Temari, "I'm a shinobi for fuck's sake!"

"Where could they possibly be?" Shikamaru groaned, his high had passed, and reality had set in, "We're back at the hotel for the third time and they haven't come home yet."

"What do you want to do?" Setsuko asked. "I really don't know much about these things. I just hope my brother can take care of it. He's actually a ninja." She sighed, "His technique is so strong, and he could probably handle the terrorists himself, that's why I don't understand why he requested help. He should have just done it on his own from the beginning, maybe with a couple Sunagakure shinobi…but I'm not sure why he went to all these lengths."

"Why didn't you tell him that?" Shikamaru wondered.

"I…" She blushed, "I like meeting foreigners," She said again, "I don't have a lot of friends, so when he came up to me and said 'I'm thinking of requesting some help from Suna and this faraway place called Konohagakure', all I could do was tell him how great that sounded." She sighed, "I'm selfish, aren't I? I'm really sorry for everything that's happened because of me."

"No…" Shikamaru objected, "I'm glad I met you. You…you helped figure a lot of things out. And I told you…" He blushed, too, "I told you a lot of things I've never told anyone before."

"Me too." Setsuko gave the biggest smile Shikamaru had seen from her so far, her eyes looked small and shiny. "I told you a lot of things, too."

"I always knew you were a freak." Ino barked, bleeding from her mouth, she had ended up being beaten and tied up. Chouji lay at her feet, bound as well; he had been knocked out trying to protect her.

"Is that so?" Masaru sniggered, "But I could have sworn you had the biggest crush on me." He trickled his finger down her bruised cheek and down to her breasts.

She hacked up some blood and spit at his face.

"You disgusting whore!" He slapped her. "Maybe that one was just karma for your poor little bitch of a boyfriend earlier," He laughed, smacking her again, making her bleed more. "Girls think they can do whatever they want. But really, you're nothing special. You're all gross and manipulative." He scowled, slapping her again out of rage, "I _hate_ women." Masaru bent down and grabbed Ino's kunai from the floor. He slid it smoothly across her face, "Such pretty skin…" His lips curled upwards in a sinister fashion, "Yeah, I'm sure you'll do the trick." He spoke to himself out loud, "This time I'll get it right."

* * *

Name: Masaru

Birthdate: June 20

Astrological Sign: Gemini (Cancer Cusp)

Gender: Male

Age: 26

Height: 155.5 cm (5'10 ft)

Weight: 77.3 kg (170 lbs)

Blood Type: O

Affiliation: Shiogakure

Ninja Rank: Jounin

Occupation: Kage Advisor/ Diplomat/ War General

Likes: ?

Dislikes: Women, Horror Movies

Favorite Food: Salad

Least Favorite Food: Macaroni

Hobbies: Working out

Family:

Setsuko (Adoptive Sister)

Emperor (Father)


	15. Chapter 15: A Confession

"So did you like weed?" Setsuko asked, sitting with Shikamaru outside of the room, having decided to wait for his teammates to show up.

"Well…" Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know. It was like…I was being myself then I wasn't at the same time."

"That's weird, but I get it." Setsuko nodded, "Most people feel like it makes them their 'true self' but I don't think so. I think it makes you escape." She tapped her lips with the padding of her index finger, "To me, it's like a part of my brain I wasn't able to explore before opened up, well at least the first time I smoked, that is. Nowadays, it's just… routine, ya' know? It just makes me more positive. I try to stay that way on my own, but sometimes it's hard."

"Yeah, I wonder how troublesome it must be to be the emperor's daughter." Shikamaru looked up at the ceiling, contemplating.

"Are you being sarcastic? I can't even tell." They both laughed, Shikamaru shook his head.

"No, I really would probably hate that. I can't imagine having all that weight on my shoulders, being a shinobi is more than enough stress as it is."

"I would like it," Setsuko chimed, "I want to be a Shinobi so I could do whatever I want."

"Heh," Shikamaru gave a nostalgic half smile, "That's what I used to think, too."

Sakura finally reached her destination and decided to be as stealthy as possible, backing up against the vine covered, decaying wall and sliding slowly towards the nearest window. It was frustratingly translucent but not opaque, she struggled to see inside. She gave a sharp gasp when she made out a heavy pile of bright yellow hair on the floor. It was definitely Ino's.

_Dammit. _Sakura cursed to herself, _How do I get in without him seeing me? When I can't even see him?_ Just then, her thoughts were interrupted by a muffled screech, also obviously belonging to her blonde best friend. _No time to be sneaky, _She prepared herself, pulling out a kunai from her pouch. _I have no idea what this psycho's capable of. _Sakura shuddered, just remembering the look on Gaara's face when he refused to tell them what happened got under her skin. She was going to have to beat him at his own game.

"It's kind of weird they aren't back yet." Setsuko stood up, pacing. "Hey can I tell you something?" Shikamaru was a bit taken aback by the hesitation – from what he had experienced, Setsuko didn't seem to worry much about what she was going to say before she said it. He urged her to proceed. "I don't know if I really trust my brother…" Shikamaru stood up, an expression of concern rapidly washing over his face.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He started to become frantic, the look on her face was freaking him out, and her sudden silence wasn't helping. "Setsuko!"

"Aish!" She raised her hands in front of herself defensively, spreading her fingers, and waving. "I don't think it's anything that bad…I mean no, it's pretty bad…" She transferred her palms to her face, covering her eyes, leaving her mouth exposed. "When we were younger…" She stopped.

"What? Setsuko? What?"

"He molested me." She hunched her shoulders forward in shame. Shikamaru was taken aback. "I was only ten, he was…nineteen." Shikamaru felt a knot in his stomach. "He said he needed to do it. That I needed to help him. I just wanted to help my brother. I didn't know what was going on. I accepted it and when it was over, he tried really hard to mend things back to normal…I don't know how, but it did, we both just acted as if it never happened. I almost think I made the whole thing up in my head sometimes."

"What kind of help could he…" Shikamaru couldn't finish his sentence; he was revolted by what he had just heard.

"He said he needed to…" She turned red, "He needed to stop liking boys."

* * *

I know this was a short chapter, I apologize xD Things in Shiogakure will wrap up soon, and Ino and Shikamaru's relationship will be tackled again...that is...if Ino makes it out in one piece...*suspenseful gasp*

I also wanted to say thanks for all your reviews, they really mean a lot to me, I wish I could reply to all of them but it would be awkward, no? With that said, please be assured that I read over all of them& I mentally respond every time (lol) so please continue to express your reactions to the story's progress! (I'm such a dork, sorry) :p But anyways, Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate & Happy Chanakuh to my Jewish readers! 3 :)


	16. Chapter 16: Hips Don't Lie

"Setsuko…" Shikamaru, at a loss for words, offered her a friendly embrace. Just as he opened his arms to hold her, a kunai flew within the small space that separated them, stabbing the wall between them.

"Shikamaru! Get away from her!" Shikamaru was surprised to hear Temari, and even more in shock when she started attacking Setsuko.

"EEEE! What are you doing?!" Setsuko desperately tried to dodge the frenzy of attacks, although the fact that she wasn't a ninja wasn't helping her.

"Temari! Have you lost your mind?!" Shikamaru stood in front of Setsuko, about to take a major blow for her, when Gaara took his place instead, absorbing Temari's wind.

"What'd you do that for, Gaara?!" Temari hissed.

"I never said Setsuko was part of it." He said, wheezing for air after the impact.

"You never said she wasn't!"

"Part of what?!" Setsuko peered from behind Gaara, cuts and bruises decorating her face; her hair was a mess.

"Don't play dumb!" Temari lifted her fan again and pointed it at her, "Make one more move, I dare you."

"Whoa whoa whoa." Shikamaru tried to mediate, "Can someone please explain what this is all about?"

"How much time do you think we have?!" Temari growled, "Long story short, your little girlfriend's 'nii-chan' has your other girlfriend and your best friend locked up about to do god knows what and Sakura is over there about to get killed trying to save them! Gaara's kekkai-genkai and jutus have been stolen so he's had to walk around pretending to be a girl and I have to take him all the way to the village to request backup and you're over here getting high and playing Romeo and Juliet!"

"Wait…WHAT?!" Shikamaru was having a hard time grasping everything she had just rapidly spat at him.

"No?! Please tell me it isn't true!" Setsuko broke down into tears, "Nii-chan? Why? What have you done?!"

"Setsuko-san…" Gaara walked over to her, bent down to her level and lifted her face in his hands, "Look at me and tell me the truth, did you know about this?"

"I swear…" Setsuko shook her head feverishly, "I swear I would never want any of you to get hurt. I'm not a bad person…and my brother…he isn't either! Please! Don't kill him! I know what he's trying to do…"

"We can't let this slide!" Temari was flustered, "We have to hurry, Gaara! We won't make it in time!" Gaara nodded, narrowing his eyes at Setsuko.

"I trust you." He nodded, "But you'll have to work with us. I know it's hard…but your brother is a danger to not just your village, but all of ours. I know firsthand what it's like to be related to evil, I once walked that path myself. Believe me when I tell you these are good people you're working with, I promise you we'll try to negotiate with him, but if he won't cooperate, you stand with us or you stand in our way." Setsuko, stared at him, tears not failing to fall, she could barely breathe.

"Gaara!" Temari howled, her voice revealing worry and impatience.

"I…won't let you guys down." Setsuko swallowed the lump in her throat and spoke, "Hopefully, I won't have to choose between you two, but you have my loyalty." Temari ground her teeth and clenched her fists tightly. _Please, don't believe her. _She thought, praying her brother and Shikamaru weren't so gullible. Gaara gave Shikamaru quick instructions before racing away with his older sister to Sunagakure.

"Now," Masaru instructed as he walked circles around Ino, "I can't exactly get off with just a woman…" he whispered, "They disgust me too much."

"What the hell..?" Ino squinted at him, "What are you..?"

"Do girls ever shut up?!" Masaru, standing behind her, wrapped her mouth with a cloth, tightening it so it was intrusive to her circulation. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, we will be having a beautiful young man join us." Ino's eyes widened and she looked down at Chouji with concern. "No, not that fat pig, you dumb whore." Masaru sneered, "The gorgeous one with the dreamy blue eyes." Masaru sighed, walking over to an area covered with a drab curtain; he ripped it off proudly, "Behold!" But both Masaru and Ino were confused as to why only a solitary chair was revealed to have been hiding there; there were also scraps of tape and rope sprinkled around the floor of it. "DAMN! HOW DID HE..?!" Masaru groaned fitfully, picking up the chair and knocking Ino on the side of the head with it, causing her to topple over, unconscious.

"Are you looking for me?" Masaru spun around to see Gaara standing before him.

"Impossible…" Masaru blinked, "Where were you hiding?"

"I wasn't," Gaara winked, "I didn't have to, with such a dense guy like you walking around! You didn't even notice me use a simple genjutsu to get past the door." He pointed at the metal that had once bolted the door shut, on the ground. He had managed to move it without stirring even the slightest of noise.

"Oh, is that so?" Masaru gave a cunning grin, "You think you're so bright, don't you?" He started making unfamiliar handsigns, "Too bad I already stole all of Gaara's jutsus, imposter." _Damn! _Sakura cursed to herself. _I shouldn't have talked so much! _"Now, which one are you, hmm? I know you're not a guy, what with that sassy little strut of yours." _Crap! He already has it narrowed down to me and Temari! Temari…Shikamaru…Someone…come help soon! _Sakura, still disguised as Gaara, took an offensive stance, preparing herself for the unknown technique that Masaru had up his sleeve.

* * *

Sorry for that two-day hiatus, guys! I was busy during a very strange Thanksgiving break, haha. Also, I changed my pen name. I was previously drugstodogirlstoscrew but I am now kakkoi-ne in order to seperate myself from my tumblr account. Thank you for reading ;o


	17. Chapter 17: Fool Me Twice

"What do you mean there aren't any shinobi available?!" Temari slammed a fist against the wooden table, she lifted Matsuri by her scarf, "Whose bright idea was it to send all of Suna's nin off on a mission while the Kazekage is gone?!"

"Temari…" Gaara gently got his sister to loosen his grip on Matsuri and took his place in interrogating her, "Matsuri-san…that wasn't…"

"I'm so sorry, Gaara-sama!" She bawled, "I just thought… well I didn't think you would ever be in trouble…I thought you were…_invincible_." She sunk her head, a rosy color sweeping both her and Gaara's cheeks.

"Well, that's adorable and all," Temari rubbed her temples, "But it's not helpful! What are we going to do? It'll take at least four days to get all the way to Konoha and back to Shio – even with my fan, they're doomed!"

"We don't have _any_ shinobi from Suna _or_ Konoha around?" Gaara asked anxiously, beginning to lose his cool, as well. Matsuri closed her eyes, releasing a couple tears, and shook her head in defeat.

"You have one." The three Suna-nin turned their attention to the familiar voice that appeared behind them. They couldn't believe it. They might actually have a chance, after all.

"Let's see how brave you are after this!" Masaru shouted, completing his hand signs and filling the room with a purple smoke. When it cleared, Sakura, now in her own appearance, stood face to face with herself. "Hmm…well you just had to be the flat-chested one, didn't you?" Masaru scoffed, checking his new form out. Sakura's face flushed and she could almost breathe fire from her nostrils – Inner Sakura was having a fit. _Grrrrr…What a jerk! I'll fucking shred him! _"Now…I'll destroy you with your own kekkai-genkai!" Masaru charged at her, but his faux Sakura face was met with an authentic Sakura fist, smashing him through the ground, and skidding him across it until he slammed into the wall.

"Too bad I don't have a kekkai-genkai!" Sakura punched her first into her palm, smirking victoriously. "And I don't need any jutsu to rearrange that pretty face you're wearing!" She was about to strike again when she found herself completely paralyzed. "What the-?"

"Setsuko!" Sakura instantly recognized Shikamaru's voice, and she realized he had trapped her in his Shadow Possession. She watched as Setsuko swept over to Ino, quickly untying her and Chouji and plopping Ino over her back and dragging Chouji behind some boxes for shelter. "Now tell me!" Shikamaru's spoke in a deep, threatening tone, "Which one of you is the real Sakura?" Both Sakuras looked at each other, the one against the wall pointed at the one being possessed.

"Shikamaru! She's already stolen my strength! I can't…" And with that, she fainted. Ino began to blink her eyes open, her face twitching in agony. The first thing she saw was Setsuko.

"Are you okay?" She whispered, she looked like she had been battling it out, too. "Don't worry, Shikamaru is going to talk to my brother, they're gonna work everything out." **_Talk it out_**_? With that guy?! _Ino wanted to speak but she could only groan from the pain in her head. Setsuko petted her soothingly, "Just relax, okay? This will all be a bad memory soon."

"No! Shikamaru don't listen to her – er – him!" Sakura pleaded, "Its me! Shikamaru! I can prove it!"

"Alright…" Shikamaru agreed, but without releasing his jutsu, "You have a couple seconds to prove it before you dig your own grave." Against her will, Sakura raised a kunai up to her throat, inching closer and closer. _Think Sakura! Think! _

"The perpetual friendzone!" Sakura finally exclaimed, "When you were pretending to be Sasuke! I told you that-"

"Yeah, yeah! You don't need to repeat it!" Shikamaru assured, releasing his justu and transferring it to Masaru, who, still in Sakura's form, was trying to sneak away. "Now you…" Shikamaru turned his attention to the frozen Masaru, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you."

"I don't think my cute little sister would appreciate that very much…" He grinned, Setsuko gasped from behind the boxes. "I know she can be very convincing." He chuckled, "Playing that innocent act. Trying to distract you with her rock music and drugs." Shikamaru's jutsu began to falter, his emotions were starting to take over. "Did you really think she wasn't in on it? Do you really think the emperor's daughter would fall for a slob like you?"

"Don't listen to him!" Setsuko cried, standing up and revealing her hiding spot. "Shikamaru, he's lying!" Shikamaru looked at her, his jutsu broke, and he raced towards her. "STOP!" Before he could hit her, Masaru slammed her to the ground, jabbing a kunai into her back. "AIIIIEE!" Setsuko howled in pain, she had never been stabbed before, especially not by her older brother.

"Just kidding." Masaru winked, but when Shikamaru choked him, he vanished into a piece of wood. "Over here!" Shikamaru turned his attention to Sakura, who was in a headlock by Masaru. "A simple substitution justu." Masaru smiled, "This girl wasn't so useless, after all. Thanks for weakening her with your shadow technique, by the way. I can't wait to get my hands on that one. So if you don't want to see your little friend's head pop off, I suggest you just hold still and let me-"A powerful gust of wind interrupted Masaru's speech, causing a tornado of boxes and chairs to spin around the room. Shikamaru attempted to protect all three of his injured comrades – Ino, Chouji, and Setsuko – from all of the debris. He covered Setsuko's mouth when she tried to cry out in pain. He knew she was hurting, but he didn't want rubble to fly into her mouth and choke her to death. He apologized internally to all of them as he allowed tough hunks of wood and metal to pound against his back, hoping that Sakura was okay.

Masaru purposely fell on his back with the intent to use Sakura as a human shield, but she was snatched out of his hands in a flash. _What in the hell?! _Masaru didn't have time to figure out what just happened. Had the wind blown her away? When the storm cleared, he was found curled up into a ball, quivering. Temari cocked her head in triumphantly, banging her fan into his side, making him yelp. But it was all an act, he could sense that her chakra was drained, and he made a wall of sand erupt from the ground and toss her into the direction she had come from.

"That was it?!" Masaru cackled. "Did you really think it would be that easy?!"


	18. Chapter 18: Smoke and Mirrors

Masaru's laughter was cut short by a blade slicing off his arm entirely. He roared in anguish, the blood squirting mercilessly.

"Next time, it'll be your head." None other but the famous Uchiha Sasuke spoke, a bloody sword in one hand, and a trembling Sakura in his other, clinging to his neck. "I would have done it right away, but I don't think you deserve such a quick death, coward." Sasuke aimed his katana at Masaru, "How dare you put your filthy hands on her. I'll make you beg me to kill you." Masaru's eyes expanded and he began to snicker maniacally.

"Forget Gaara…" Masaru twitched, standing up, a prostate arm made of sand filling the empty, bleeding space, "I think I just fell in love." He clenched his fake fist and gave a twisted grin as the sand began to spread across his face. _Dammit! _Temari panicked from her corner, unable to move or scream. _The Shukaku is taking over! _

"Go help Ino and that girl." Sasuke ordered Sakura, letting her go. She looked deeply into his glowing, red eyes, still wrapped around his neck.

"Sasuke-kun! Be careful," She warned, "He's going to try to steal your Sharingan! And he-"

"I know." He pulled her away from him gently, urging her to aid their allies, "They told me everything. I can handle it." They nodded at each other, and Sakura ran over to where Shikamaru was still hovering over his friends.

"What a shame!" Masaru whined, "The hot ones are always straight!" He pounced towards Sasuke, barely missing him as he dodged. _He's faster than I thought. _Sasuke noticed the deep, newfound hole where he had been standing. _And stronger! It's like fighting the real Gaara! _Sasuke's memory flashed back to his battle back during the chuunin exams. He recalled that him and Sakura had been unable to stop the Shukaku – it had taken Naruto and the enormous toad. But Naruto was in Konohagakure, completely unaware of the situation. Sasuke had only been in Suna by chance, in fact, he was about to sign out of the village after completing his mission when he overheard that Sakura and the others were in trouble. He knew that this guy had stolen Gaara's powers, but he wouldn't have guessed that that also included the bijuu! Distracted by his thoughts, Sasuke would have been struck if Shikamaru hadn't jumped in a blocked.

"Well, look who it is. My number one fan." Sasuke smirked sarcastically at Shikamaru, "Don't tell me you're gonna show me up and steal my girl again." Shikamaru blushed a little, embarrassed by the reference. He was going to have to suck up the past humiliation and fight side by side with the guy he had pretended to be not too long ago.

"I'll show you what I'm made of." Shikamaru retorted, surprisingly confident, "The real me," and with that, the two swung forward for a double attack, but they were unexpectedly locked inside a ball of sand.

"What's happening?!" Sakura called as she healed Ino and Setsuko.

"We won't be able to tell!" Temari, finally gaining enough to strength to holler, responded, "I've seen this before! It won't clear unless Masaru breaks the jutsu or he's killed!" So that was it, all Temari, Sakura, Ino, Setsuko, and Chouji (who was still knocked out), could do was watch and pray that it would clear and Sasuke and Shikamaru would be standing over a dead Masaru. Temari crawled over to the rest of them. "If Shikamaru and Sasuke aren't the only ones up when that jutsu is over…I'll give it another shot with my fan. Sakura, I need you to help me." Sakura agreed and switched from Setsuko's back to Temari.

"I'm so sorry!" Setsuko failed to hold back tears, "I never wanted any of this…my brother…he's betrayed all of us!" She sobbed hysterically, her hands shaking. Ino grabbed them in hers and pulled them up to her chest.

"Don't worry." Ino squeezed her hands tightly, her heart pounding against them, "I promise we'll get you out of this. You're one of us, now." Temari and Sakura nodded, making Setsuko cry even more.

"You guys…" she sniffled, "I don't how I can ever pay you back…for everything." As she finished her sentence, the sand cracked and a dark, gray fog packed the room, blinding everyone.

"Temari!" The girls were able to make out Sasuke's shape as he ran towards them, screaming, "He's still standing! Do it now!" Following his signal, Temari lifted her fan and shot another tornado. Sasuke lept into an empty space among the girls, resting his head against Sakura's shoulder. "That was close."

"What about Shikamaru?!" Ino rattled Sasuke's arm in panic. He just shook his head solemnly. Her heart dropped.

All of a sudden, Setsuko leapt forward and stabbed Sasuke straight in the chest. Everyone else gasped in terror and shock.

"I knew it!" Temari cried out in rage, "I knew it! You deceiving little bitch!"


	19. Chapter 19: Hallowed Be Thy Name

They all prepared to clobber Setsuko when Sasuke got her first, breaking through her with his Chidori. Then everything went up in smoke, and Masaru was revealed.

"Setsuko…" He winced, looking directly into the eyes of his killer and little sister, he coughed out gallons of blood, "You…traitor…"

"My loyalty…" Setsuko's voice shook as tears spilled from her eyes and blood gushed from her mouth as she spoke, "is with the village…all three of them…not with terrorists…"

"I suppose…" Masaru's chidori faded, his wrist hung limply through his sister's body, "You never could help your big bro out in anything, could you?"

"Forgive me… nii-chan…" And with that, Masaru collapsed, causing Setsuko to moan loudly in pain as his hand pulled away from inside her. Sakura immediately tried to heal her but she stopped her, weakly pointing with her head in Shikamaru and Sasuke's direction. They were lying flat on their faces, motionless in a pool of blood and wreckage. "They're dying... I can… feel it. Go help them…I'm… no shinobi…anyways…."

Sakura shook her head, "Setsuko-chan!" She cried hysterically, "Setsuko!" She had no choice but to run towards the boys and start healing them. "Ino!" She bellowed, "I don't have enough for both of them!" Ino, trying to help Setsuko, was now torn.

"Go…" Setsuko whispered. Ino couldn't break her gaze away from her. She looked so frail and defeated in her arms. How could she just abandon her? When she had just killed her brother to save them? "I'm sorry…I tried to steal your boyfriend…" Setsuko muttered, giving a weak laugh that was cut off by a sharp pain, "Ow…and for….turning him…into…a pothead…" Another laugh, another sting, "But he…really…" Setsuko's voice finally faltered, and her eyes fluttered – she was dead.

During the autopsy, it had also been discovered that Masaru had a glass eye. Apparently, he had also used one of his stolen forms when he snuck into a Suna hotel at the border and had attempted to molest Ino, Sakura, and Temari at the bathhouse. Of course, he hadn't known that he was dealing with the very shinobi that he would face just the next day.

Shikamaru and Ino stood over Setsuko and Masaru's grave. Despite everything that had happened, their father had decided to honor their wills that had firmly stated that the two siblings wanted to be buried next to each other. After all, as he had admitted at the grand funeral, it was his fault: Masaru's father had indeed had an affair, but it had been with another man. The truth was concealed from Masaru until he decided to come out to his adoptive father– the emperor – at the ripe age of 19. Upon hearing the truth, he went into a psychosis and ended up raping his little sister in a poor attempt to change his sexuality. In order to protect the family name, the emperor forgave this treacherous crime and kept it as another dark, family secret. As a form of compensation, the emperor allowed his daughter to rebel and act as she wished, even granting her the position of a diplomat. He had suspicions that his son had repeated this act several times, but he sincerely never expected terrorism. At the end of the confession, the emperor attempted to commit suicide, but the villagers raged and beat him until they killed him instead. The Konahagakure ninja and Temari stood powerless against the mass mob of angry locals. The fate of Shiogakure is uncertain, as several members of the royal family are now being interrogated, and it will all have to be brought up and discussed at the next meeting in Sunagakure. For now, however, Shikamaru and Ino simply mourned what they had learned to call a fallen friend.

"And though the end is near, I'm not sorry. Catch my soul 'cause it's willing to fly away," The lyrics danced inside Shikamaru and Ino's ears as they shared headphones, listening to that song Setsuko had shown Shikamaru, the one that had touched him, so. They both couldn't hold back the tears that filled and dripped from their eyes as the song neared its end, "When you know that your time is close at hand, Maybe then you'll begin to understand." Shikamaru collapsed onto his knees, unable to allow himself to listen to the final lyrics. Ino sobbed over him, wrapping her arms tightly around him, sinking her face into his back, staining his shirt with tears. "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah," She listened by herself, picturing that last look on Setsuko's face, "Hallowed be thy name." _It's very strange…_ She thought to herself throughout their shared cry. And she continued with the same thought when they were both calm, wiping their faces and placing the music player next to Setsuko's tombstone. It was still playing. _I was jealous of someone who would pass away the same day I met her… Was I wrong, somehow? _As she took Shikamaru's hand in hers and they both gathered the courage to walk away and meet up with the rest of her group to hed back home, she still didn't understand.

* * *

Just a heads up, next chapter will be the last. I also apologize that the wrap up of Masaru's true identity and story as well as Setsuko's ending was a bit rushed, but this is still a Shikaino Romance Fic, right? **Right**? *Nervous Laugh*


	20. Chapter 20: A New Zone

Ino dug through her seemingly infinite closet of clothes, tossing all kinds of tops, bottoms, and dresses all over her bedroom. _Picking out an outfit sure is hard without Shikamaru…_She sighed to herself, even though he usually didn't even give her an opinion, anyways. She was in the middle of trying on a pair of skinny jeans when she was startled by the doorbell.

"Ino! Your **_boyfriend_** is here!" Inoichi called happily in a singing voice, causing Ino's cheeks to turn red.

"Shut up, dad! He's not my boyfriend!" Ino huffed to herself, panicking when she heard a knock on her door but she was still in in her underwear. She decided to open it anyways.

"Whoa!" Shikamaru pretended to cover his eyes, peeking through his fingers.

"You perv!" Ino whacked him with a shoe. "You know the drill, look the other way!" She stuck her little pink tongue out, and Shikamaru shook his head, amused, and plopped down on her bed. "Don't fall asleep, dork." She pulled the pillow from under his head and slapped his face with it. He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her on top of him.

"Why aren't you dressed yet, you annoying girl?" Shikamaru groaned as if he sincerely minded.

"Maybe because my shopping buddy didn't help me pick something out this time," Ino pouted.

"I'm proud to say I am no longer your shopping buddy." Shikamaru muttered, earning another hit from Ino's purple pillow. She paraded across her room in front of him, giving him a teasing twirl.

"What do you want to see me in tonight?"

"Just throw on that cute sweater and some jeans, babe."

"You're an idiot."

Ino ended up wearing that after all, which made Shikamaru very happy, until he realized that it didn't stop guys from ogling at her, even when he made a scary face and held her hand as they walked. They spotted Sakura and Sasuke at _that_ café, and they couldn't help bursting into laughter as they passed by. When the sun was going down, the pair decided to walk towards a peaceful spot where they could get a good look at the sky.

"Wow, it's so pretty!" Ino's eyes glittered as she lay in awe. Shikamaru, who usually couldn't unglue his gaze from the sky, found himself staring at an impressed Ino.

"Yeah, you are." He said softly, gaining a shocked expression from Ino.

"Who are you and what have you done with Shikamaru?" She giggled, blushing at his newfound confidence.

"It's me, Sasuke-kun." Ino laughed at Shikamaru's joke, shoving him playfully. He smiled and she smiled back. He leaned in for a kiss that would be their first – well, apart from that one time with the cheese, of course.

"HEEYY! LOVE BIRDS!" Ino and Shikamaru were interrupted by the screeching sound of Naruto's voice, they sat up to see the whole Konoha rookie gang gathered, watching them, "WE'RE ALL GETTING SOME RAMEN! COME ON! SASUKE'S PAYING!"

"NO HE'S NOT!" Sakura punched Naruto in the back of the head, her other hand in Sasuke's. "Leave them alone! Besides…" She narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue in a mocking manner, "I think they want some _alone_ time." She snickered.

"Shut it, forehead!" Ino snorted, pulling Shikamaru up with her. "We're coming!"

"Aw c'mon, give us a little smooch first." Chouji teased, making fake kissy noises at his best friends. Shikamaru and Ino both flushed.

"Oh, don't be so mean, Chouji-kun!" Sakura sneered, "It's awkward to have your first kiss in public."

"As long as it's them, that's all that matters, right?" Sasuke interjected, making everyone laugh. Ino was going to defend herself when Shikamaru seized her by the waist and pulled her in for a bold, passionate kiss. The group hollered and whistled in excitement. When it was over, Ino turned all kinds of red.

"So troublesome…" Was Shikamaru's only response when Naruto, Chouji, and Kiba kept nudging his ribs and slapping his back. Ino was completely surprised but speechless, so she just ignored Sakura and TenTen's teasing and allowed Shikamaru to claim her with his arm around her, offering her a sweet peck on the cheek as an apology.

Ino rested her head on Shikamaru's shoulder as they trailed behind their friends, the sun sinking into a marvelous pink and orange sky behind them.


End file.
